Tempers flare in bitter row at council

Built-up tensions boiled over at Masterton's full council meeting this week with councillors verbally attacking each other and council staff.
Mayor Gary Daniell had to angrily step in to shut down one councillor's claims and then ticked off another for departing from an agreed statement.
Fireworks erupted when Cr David Holmes, a fierce opponent of the proposal to use border strips to treat Masterton's wastewater, demanded to know whether council officers knew at the time of consent hearings last March about ''problems'' Selwyn District Council in Canterbury had been having with a similar scheme.
Selwyn's Leeston plant was used as an example of a border strip land treatment system in evidence presented by Masterton District Council during resource consent hearings, at which Cr Holmes was one of the submitters in favour of a centre pivot scheme.
''At the time of consent hearings in March, did you know about Leeston?'' Mr Holmes repeated angrily.
Chief executive Wes ten Hove stood and affirmed he was ''personally not aware of any problems'' at the Leeston site.
Cr Holmes disagreed, going on to say he believed ''we've got a major problem on our hands here''.
Mr Daniell was forced to interject, telling Cr Holmes: ''You asked was Wes aware of them at that particular time, he has said he was not.''
Mr Daniell again had to defend Mr ten Hove minutes later, after Cr Holmes again claimed council officers had not been honest with councillors.
''David, you sought an answer and you got an answer, and I think it is inappropriate for you to say that,'' Mr Daniell said.
Another accusation came later in the debate, this time from Cr Brent Goodwin against Cr Holmes.
''In response to David's attacking comments on Wes, I would have thought he has a severe conflict of interest in promoting centre pivots.''
Mr Daniell was again forced to step in, saying: ''I suggest that's your personal observation.''
At the close of the discussion, the council resolved to authorise officers to choose a consultant to prepare a preliminary environmental assessment and start the consultation process for two centre pivot options with a budget of $100,000.
Likely costings of a centre pivot scheme, as well as contractor's pricings for the border strip scheme, are to be presented to councillors in August.
The stoush was the latest in an ongoing debate contrasting border dykes, for which the council already has a 25-year consent, and centre pivot irrigation.
The second row erupted after Cr Goodwin wandered off-script on a pre-approved statement he read to the council and got personal with colleague Edwin Perry.
Last month, Mr Daniell was forced to shut down a fiery row between Cr Goodwin and Cr Perry, when Cr Perry claimed Cr Goodwin had fuelled false accusations about his handling of funds through the Maori Liaison Task Group.
Cr Perry has staunchly rejected any notion that funds from the group have been mishandled, pointing out that all grants had carefully been allocated to a range of deserving applicants.
Since that time, Cr Goodwin had typed a statement in which he demanded an apology from Cr Perry, which Mr Daniell approved for reading on condition he kept to what was written.
But Mr Daniell was forced to step in and demand that Cr Goodwin ''stick to the text''.
Cr Goodwin ended with an unscripted jibe at Cr Perry's meeting attendance record.